Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an amusement park device having a rail-guided route course and having at least one vehicle guided on the rail.
Background of the Invention
The invention relates to an amusement park device with a rail-guided route course as well as at least one vehicle guided on the rail, comprising a brake device with at least one, preferably two brake pads fastened at a brake-pad carrier for braking and/or clamping tight the vehicle at a point of the rail-guided route course during a braking event.
Such amusement park devices with rail-guided route courses have been known for many years. Here, in addition to the question of how the vehicles are driven on the rails, another important safety aspect includes the provision of a suitable braking device, in order to allow the secure braking and/or stopping of the vehicles during operation.
Different braking concepts have become known for such amusement park devices, such as in carousels, rollercoasters, or rail trains. One of the first braking means for such amusement park devices was described by Thompson in AT 82624 in 1921. Here, Thompson describes a braking mechanism which allows for the control of the speed of the vehicles and to completely stop the vehicle in critical situations. Thompson describes a vehicle brake which was operated via a lever by a person in the train. Here, a mechanism presses brake pads upon a friction bar installed along the entire rail track. Due to the friction generated here a portion of the kinetic energy of the train is converted into heat and the train slows down.
However, this braking technology is today used in only few rail-guided route courses, such as for instance the so-called “Rutschebanen” in Tivoli (Copenhagen, Denmark).
A different braking mechanism is used in modern carousels and rollercoasters. Here, the braking mechanism is moved away from the vehicle to the rail track. A so-called braking strut, located at the vehicle, engages brake pads of friction brakes, with the brake pads being placed at certain points of the carousel or roller coaster at the rail. When a vehicle and its brake strut passes such friction brakes, the strut engages between the brake pads of these friction brakes and is clamped here, when the brake is activated. The brakes are here regularly opened by pneumatic or hydraulic actuators against a preloaded spring force.
Beginning in the mid-nineties, then the so-called eddy current brake has been used as a magnetic variant of such braking systems fastened at the rails. An example of such eddy current brakes for rollercoasters is shown in DE 20 2012 100 896 U1.
Although, as shown above, the development of braking devices for carousels and rollercoasters has resulted in very powerful and effective brake devices, here it is however disadvantageous that the vehicles cannot be braked and stopped at any desired points of the route course but only in those sections and/or blocks at which such brake devices are actually fastened at the rail.
A return to a brake mechanism fastened at the vehicles of such amusement park devices was prohibitive though, since the rail-guided route course of rollercoasters frequently shows extremely tight curves and additionally unevenness and tolerances occur over the route course, so that conventional brake devices located at the vehicle cannot be used.
This is the foundation for the present invention.